American Studies

This course has two main objectives: First, to introduce some essential features of American politics such as its political culture, the organization of its political system and political institutions, and the electoral logics that shape the contours of the state and the policies implemented. The second objective is to critically discuss key issues of today's U.S. political debate, such as political and party polarization, rising economic inequalities, and minorities and women rights.

This is an independent research course with research arranged between the student and faculty member. The specific research topics vary each term and are described on a special project form for each student. A substantial paper is required. The number of units varies with the student’s project, contact hours, and method of assessment, as defined on the student’s special study project form.

This course covers American historical and cultural developments from European colonization to the end of the 20th century. It studies both the internal developments in the United States and its growing importance in international politics. It offers a range of social, economic, and political perspectives on the American experience and develops students' understanding of the dominance of the United States in contemporary world history and culture. 

By focusing on the “economy and business” and “music and advertisement” of Post World War II United States, this course contextualizes the characters and strengths of American capitalist development. Two consecutive sessions on each of the two topics alternate throughout the semester. 
 

The section on “Economy and Business” will explore how the American economy expanded and its businesses succeeded in the post-WWII period despite facing serious setbacks and crises. The course discusses major political and social developments chronologically and the economic impact it had both on the domestic front and abroad. The goal is for the students to foster a long-term perspective on American economic development and how it has shaped and continue to affect current affairs. 

The aim of the "Music and Advertising" section is to understand how the advertising industry had utilized music to sell goods between 1950 and 1990. Music has always played an important role in advertising, which has been undoubtedly an essential element of capitalism. The class focuses on the question of how commercials have been fashioned not only to sell goods and services, but also to inculcate listeners and viewers into their roles as consumers.

Around the globe, right-wing populist and extremist movements and parties are on the rise. In some democracies, they have marginalized or even replaced mainstream conservative parties, in others – like in the US – they have radicalized them. In light of their typically ultranationalist (“America first”) and frequently isolationist and protectionist policy positions, it is somewhat counterintuitive that these actors would form cross-border alliances. And yet, the transnational networking of radicalized conservatives, right-wing populists and even extremists has increased in recent years. Gatherings such as the US-based Conservative Political Action Conferences (CPAC) have featured more and more international participants and high-level speakers. Common themes such as the “anti-woke agenda” can be observed across many different countries. In the seminar, we will explore the extent and relevance of these transnational networks, focusing on ideological exchanges and cross-border learning of strategies and tactics, including political communication.

Classical music is the only art form that goes directly to the human spirit, states Pierre Bourdieu. More than any other genre, classical music has been stated to divide society by race and class. Orchestras base their business model typically on a visions of a white middle-class (and middle-age) audiences.. At the same time, even modern pop musical forms often presume but rarely do cross racial lines. Why is that so and where does the racial divide in music stem from? This course examines the interplay of music and race in North American history. We will examine different genres of music across time and space with a particular eye on agency and target audience, sound and word. We will look at mostly classical musicians of the African-American diaspora and North America, including their their experiences, their art and politics, and their receptions. Through an interdisciplinary approach using history, critical race theory, and cultural sociology, we will discuss and define racism, bias, inequality, and scripts of exclusion and inclusion in both pop and classical music. Moreover, we will examine to what extent and how shared empathy through sound may have the potential to influence, perhaps even change racial conscience, decreasing discrimination and exclusion in and outside stages ranging from street gigs to the concert hall. The seminar seeks to fulfill two objectives: first, we will spend a significant amount of time considering some of the most recent literature dedicated to the history and present experience of music and race. Both historians and musicologists have identified peculiar factors informing the interplay of music and politics. These include specific music genres, minstrelsy, jazz clubs, the music industry, and the interplay of music and civil rights. What cocktail, we’ll ask eventually, does it take to activate music as an instrument of both power and suppression and how do race and music interplay? Second, we will try to understand the mechanism of sound in the name of identity, discrimination, political action and discuss whether there are particular lessons for the impending future.

In this course, we will address two related questions: 1) Why were queer creators largely responsible for the introduction of modernity in American art and 2) why do we so often find that queer social and political dissent found form in, and as, aesthetic dissent as well? In creating new forms for art that often seem far removed from any traditional definition of sexuality, queer artists pushed the boundaries of normativity, leading to new ways of seeing, hearing, feeling and thinking that often dared to encode queer meanings as part of their formal innovation. Were queer artists driven by a utopian hope that in a more modern world, the egregious homophobia/transphobia of the past would finally be no more? And finally we will ask about the social and political usefulness of forms of queer political dissent if those forms still remain illegible as queer to a wider audience. Throughout, new methods informed by queer, gender, and critical race theory will be utilized.

This course examines the major developments in United States history from the end of the Second World War to Watergate. The issues to be covered include the onset of the Cold War, McCarthyism, civil rights, the Cuban missile crisis, Vietnam, 1960s culture, Watergate, and the institution of the presidency. The roles played by key individuals, such as John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Richard Nixon, are explored. Declassified documents are used in analyzing some of these topics. The course develops students' basic knowledge of this era in American history, to hone their analytical skills, to develop their ability to examine documentation, and to heighten their ability to respond to historiographical debates. Students develop an understanding of the global impact of American politics, from the Vietnam War to the Civil Rights Movement, and compare international perspectives.

This course examines how changes in early 20th century American domestic politics shaped the way American colonialism was imposed and practiced in the Philippines. The objective is to explore this topic from a comparative perspective (comparing the American and British empires) and looking at colonial state formation from the lens of the Gilded and Progressive Eras. The course also focuses on two powerful institutions – the police and the law. Finally, the course looks out the relationship between the Americans and Filipino elites and the larger society in terms of the former’s quest to gain the support of Filipinos.

Barbie has been one of the iconic toys in US-American culture for decades. But what kinds of cultural messages do the dolls actually convey? How do they participate in debates about gender, 'race,' and class? About sexuality? Ability? Religion? Settler Colonialism? Ecological issues? How is this bound up with the process of their production and distribution – and the plastic waste they become when they are discarded? These are some of the questions we will discuss in class.